Our beloved cat, Pepper, was microchipped, as required by law in England since 10 June 2024 under the Microchipping of Cats and Dogs (England) Regulations 2023. When she went missing, a kind person found her and contacted the council — but the council never scanned her microchip. Instead, they took her to another location and told us to come identify her. We had to take her deceased body to a vet to be scanned and confirm it was her.

This was entirely avoidable. A microchip is only useful if it is scanned, but there is currently no legal requirement for councils to scan deceased cats they collect. This leaves loving pet owners in unnecessary pain and uncertainty.

We call on Parliament and the UK Government to:

Introduce national legislation requiring all local authorities to scan deceased cats for microchips
Require councils to notify owners via microchip database when a chip is found
Establish a national protocol and minimum standards for handling deceased pets, including scanning, record-keeping, and owner notification
Provide training and funding so every council depot has working scanners and knowledgeable staff
If you believe:

A microchip should count for something
Families deserve closure
Pets — even in death — deserve dignity
Please sign this petition and share to help prevent this from happening again.